Will volunteers work in a safe environment?

Lodging is provided in the Midwives For Haiti house, which is monitored by security. You will have a translator with you throughout the day. We do recommend, as would be true in many places in the U.S., that you not venture out alone, that you leave your valuables at home and that you conduct yourself with reasonable awareness of your surroundings. Our volunteers have never reported a significant sense of lack of safety in Haiti.

Where will I sleep?

In Hinche, volunteers stay in our Midwives For Haiti house, a five minute motorcycle ride from St. Therese Hospital. Groups of volunteers will stay in one, large volunteer room, which comes with bunk beds, sheets& towels, mosquito nets, and headlamps. It can be hot and noisy, so ear plugs or a sleeping aid may be helpful.

Is the water safe?

There is safe water at the MFH house. You should bring a water bottle so that you can fill up each morning and have water with you. You may not have access to safe water once you leave our house.

Are there any creature comforts?

There are some creature comforts but probably not anything close to what you are used to! Showers are cold and at times running water is limited. There is no air conditioning. Toilets are available at the house and normally available at clinic sites, but they may or may not have flushing capacity. (it may be an outhouse)

What are the costs?

A trip is a financial investment. A program fee of $650 for one week and $400 for each additional week is required. This covers food, lodging, ground transportation in Haiti, and translators. Volunteers are responsible for their own airfare to Port Au Prince.

May I seek contributions to support my work?

You may receive contributions and if the money is sent to Midwives For Haiti, with a note on the check or attached that this donation is to support your travel, donors will receive a tax receipt. Donations given in your name may go toward off-setting your program fee, or you may be reimbursed for additional expenses that are documented with a receipt (for supplies, medicines, etc.). Please see the Donate page of our website for information on how you or your supporters can make a donation.

What supplies should I bring?

You need to bring everything that you would normally need to practice (e.g., gloves, sutures, antibiotics, vitamins, etc.) You will often use your own supplies throughout the week. Vitamins, iron supplements, Tylenol and ibuprofen can be brought through customs without problem. Medications may be confiscated if found in your luggage. This is almost guaranteed if they are out of date. Out of date medical supplies are not welcomed at the hospital. We do use out of date materials such as suture for training purposes.

There are a number of supply needs in Hinche towards which volunteers can contribute. Our Supplies Always Needed document lists items that are consistently needed at the hospital and Mobile Clinics in Hinche. It is most helpful to bring only supplied indicated on the list, and it is better to bring a lot of one item than a few samples of a variety of items. Volunteers can expect to receive a list of urgently needed supplies one month and two weeks prior to trip departure. If possible, time and luggage space should be reserved to help fulfill some of these requests.

Is there a way to communicate with my family while I am in Haiti?

Midwives For Haiti owns a cell phone that can be used with the purchase (in Haiti) of a Digicel card. $5.00 will provide a 5 minute call to the US. Calls can be both sent and received on this phone. The number is 509-3649-2286. AT&T cell service is very good in Haiti, so is Verizon with an international card. A wireless internet card is available at the MFH house; however internet service is spotty in Haiti. Email is most accessible if set on Basic HTML mode.

How can my family reach me in an emergency?

If your family needs to reach you, they can call the cell phone in Hinche. Unless you have phone service in Haiti yourself, this is the best way. The number is 509-3649-2286.

What are typical travel dates and times?

We send volunteers to Haiti year round. We need you to arrive in Haiti on a Saturday by 12:30pm and leave Haiti no earlier than Saturday at 12:30pm, unless you make other arrangements with us. Traveling on another day may cause you to incur greater ground transportation costs in Haiti. You must stay at least one week and may stay multiple weeks if you would like.

Last updated November 30, 2011